Community Based Job Training Grant

Quarterly Progress Report

10-1-06 to 12-31-06

Section I: General Grant Information

Grant Identification:

Community Based Job Training Grant CB15210-06-60
Jeanette S. Matrone RN, PhD, CNAA, BC
Program Manager
Community College of Rhode Island
1762 Louisquisset Pike
Lincoln, RI 02865

Summary of General Activities:

The news from the grant office is every encouraging this quarter. We have made significant progress in attaining our goals. We finalized the agreement between Care New England (CNE) and CCRI. We will enter 32 additional students in the Nursing Program from the CNE system. These students have completed their prerequisites and will be removed from the wait list. We continue to work with other community partners, one of which is Rhode Island Health Care Association (RIHCA), which is preparing for another grant application through the Department of Labor. RIHCA is an agency that consists of 80 for profit long term care facilities, and they are very interested in providing career ladders and career lattices for their employees. Quality Partners of RI is participating in planning, and they have been instrumental in changing the culture of nursing homes to a more home-like environment. There are 3 representatives from CCRI on the planning committee including the Health Futures Grant Manager.

We are successfully collaborating with the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT). A representative from the DLT, Bill Cummings, is working with one Health Science Coordinator, Marilynne Soscia, to recruit into the areas of Cardio-Respiratory Therapy, Clinical Laboratory Technician, and Physical Therapy Assistant. Bill recommended that we get "vendor approval" for these three areas. Application for Vendor Approval is now being processed through the President’s office for his approval. The reason for getting Vendor Approval is that it will decrease the DLT clients’ financial burden during this educational process, making it possible for them to enter the three programs we targeted for recruitment.

Eleven more DVD’s were streamed for use in WebCT for the nursing students.

We completed a draft of a budget modification and we redistributed money according to a more realistic assessment of where we are at this point, relative to grant outcomes, and where we anticipate the expenses will fall according to our program goals.

On the goal of developing a faculty development model that strengthens instructional skills of current faculty and develops new faculty, HARI is continuing the work of recruiting potential graduate students interested in teaching nursing. They are on target with the numbers which are expected to reach a total of 30 by the end of the grant period. HARI also conducted the first dialogue workshop with students and practicing nurses. A NLN program: Meeting Student Needs When English is a Second Language was conducted at the Warwick Campus in November.

On capacity building activities, the health science coordinators are actively recruiting students from high schools to the three programs at CCRI that are targeting for recruitment. These are Cardio-respiratory Therapist, Clinical-laboratory Technician, and Physical Therapist Assistant. These areas are being targeted because these departments are able to accommodate more students, as opposed to the other programs which have long wait lists. For this quarter the coordinators met with 73 students at three schools, and their efforts are continuing to show results in applications for admission.

On the goal of retention and persistence through to graduation we reported the results of credentialing exams for the 5th quarter: December 2006 100% of the Clinical Laboratory Technician students passed who took the test. In Cardio-respiratory, there were 17 students who took the credentialing exam; 13 passed (76%). As of December 2007 there were 11 PTA candidates; 10 passed (91%). The programs that student success has established are working, but it is too early to report results because the numbers are small. As you know there are grant supported positions hired every semester to help with tutoring and supplemental instruction. Anecdotally we know these programs have the potential to increase students’ pass rates. We have a method, called tutor trac, to measure success for tutors. We must create a measurement for supplemental instruction.

We are continuing our success in goal achievement since the report was submitted. If you have any questions about any grant activities please call Jeanette Matrone, Manager at extension 7195.